SCENE 1
One day, Raja Krishnadevaraya and his courtiers watch as an artist shows his paintings to the king. The king and most of his courtiers are impressed with the paintings. However, one of the courtiers, Tenali Raman, looks displeased.
Raja : That is really a beautiful painting. I can almost feel the peace of the village scene. You are a very talented artist. Here is a bag of gold for you. We shall be very pleased if you can stay on at our court and make more beautiful paintings like these.
Artist : Your Highness is very kind. It will be an honour to paint for Your Majesty. Tenali : I do not think they are such good paintings at all!
Raja : How can you say that? I think they are perfectly lovely.
Tenali : For one thing, where is the other side of these two men? You can only see their one side. For another, where is the face of that cow?
Raja : What an ignorant fool you are! Everything cannot be painted. You must imagine the bits that are missing.
Raja : I bet a bag of gold that you can t. I ll give you the paints and the paper. You may also take leave from the court for a month. If at the end of the month you bring me a painting that is half as good as the ones we saw today, I promise you a bag of gold and the title King of Artists!
Tenali : I agree. After a month I will show you a better painting than that one. (The courtiers start smiling thinking that he would lose the bet. They know Tenali Raman cannot paint at all. Tenali looks at the giggling courtiers angrily and walks out.)
1st Courtier : You have really caught him out, Sir. He thinks he s the smartest person in the world.
2nd Courtier : He has really painted himself into a corner. I d like to see him get out of that one.
Raja : I wouldn t be too certain of that. He really is very clever. SCENE 2
(A month is over. The courtiers are waiting eagerly for Tenali to bring in his painting. They are smiling and whispering to each other.)
Raja : So, what do we do today?
lst Courtier : Sir, the day has arrived when Tenali Raman shows you his painting. Raja : Where s he? It s late and almost time for my lunch.
2nd Courtier : Perhaps he s so busy with his painting that he has lost track of the days. 3rd Courtier : Perhaps his painting is so good that he can t bear to part with it.
Raja : Well, I can t wait anymore. Somebody should go to his house and tell him that he has lost his bet and the bag of gold.
4th Courtier : It s only fair that if he doesn t make good his boast, he should pay a penalty. I feel he should pay the court a bag of gold.
1st Courtier : Indeed, yes. I agree, Sir, that he should.
3rd Courtier : Ah, there he is. He seems to have brought it. But it is covered with cloth. (Tenali comes in with two men carrying a painting covered with a sheet of cloth. When Tenali gestures, the men lift the cloth to display an empty canvas. The painting has only a few curved strokes of black on the right-hand edge and a few lines of green at the bottom below it.)
Tenali : Good afternoon, Sir. See what a beautiful horse I have drawn. It s a magnificent black stallion with a white star on its forehead. Look at the polished leather saddle on it. Hmm, I wonder if I should have the reins trail like that.
Raja : What s this? I cannot see a horse! This is very insulting. You re trying to make a fool of me. There s nothing on this canvas.
Tenali : Well, you were the one who told me that we had to use our imagination when we looked at paintings. Imagine that the rest of the horse is just outside the canvas grazing at some lush green grass. Look, you can see the edge of its tail in that corner.
Raja : You old rascal, you have got the better of me. Minister, where is that bag of gold? Give it to Tenali Raman, the cleverest man in my kingdom!
Glossary
wit(n): the ability to say clever and amusing things jester(n): a man who tells jokes and funny stories
gestures(n): signals with hand
I. Answer the following questions:
1. Why did Tenali Raman look displeased?
2. How did the King reward the artist? What would have you done? 3. Why did the King call Tenali Raman an ignorant fool?
4. What do you think is the reason for the courtiers sniggering? 5. What was the bet between the king and Tenali Raman?
*6. If you were Tenali Raman, would you accept the bet? 7. How did Tenali Raman win the bet?
8. Could you predict that Tenali Raman would win the bag of gold? *9. If you were Tenali Raman, what would you have done?
*10. Can you suggest a different ending to the play? Discuss it in your group.
B. Vocabulary
I. Fill in the blanks with suitable words given below.
covered imagination jester pleased penalty
1. Birbal was a in the court of Akbar.
2. The teacher was with the nice work done by his pupils.
3. Sarada paid a for not paying the fees on time.
4. When I visited Kashmir, the mountains were with snow.
5. You should use your when you look at a painting.
II. Phrasal verbs
A phrasal verb is a phrase which consists of a verb in combination with a preposition or an adverb or both, the meaning of which is different from the meaning of its separate parts.
You have really caught him out, Sir.
Perhaps his painting is so good that he can t bear to part with it.
The words in bold are phrasal words. The phrase caught out means to show somebody does not know much. The phrase part with means to give something to somebody else, especially something that you would prefer to keep.
How well did I read?
Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I enjoyed reading the passage.
I got the idea of the passage on my own.
I got the idea with the help of my friends in the group. The teacher helped me to understand the passage. I used the glossary given at the end of the passage.
I. Consult a dictionary and list other phrasal verbs beginning with catch and part . Write some sentences of your own for each phrasal verb.
II. Read the following passages, circle the phrasal verbs, and guess their meanings.You may choose the meanings from the list given in the box. Write the phrasal verbs and their meanings in your notebook. Write one sentence of your own for each phrasal verb.
managing, investigating, compensated for, avoid or escape, taking care of, notice someone, succeed.
1. Ramana Rao s house was robbed of. Venkateswara Rao, the inspector of police who was looking into the case released the picture of the suspect and asked the people to look out for him. In a press release, he said that he had some clues and that the robber couldnot get out of the case.
2. Bhanu joined a new company. In the beginning, she had problems with her manager. But now she is getting on with her new boss very well. Initially, she had problems with her paying-guest accommodation too. But the superb food her host served made up for the uncomfortable room. Now the problem is with looking after the host s children. They are like little devils. God only knows how she would get through this.
III. Idioms
Read the following sentence from the play:
It s only fair that if he doesn t make good his boast
The underlined phrase is an idiom. What is an idiom? An idiom is a phrase similar to the phrasal verbs you have just learnt. Their meaning is difficult to guess by looking at the individual words. Here make good means to carry out a promise. Some other idioms that begin with make are: make merry, make do, make it, make the most of something, make something of yourself, and make like.
Look up these idioms in a dictionary and find out what they mean.
Here are some more idioms. Guess their meanings and use them in your own sentences:
1. Too many cooks spoil the broth 2. Bury the hatchet
3. To make both ends meet 4. To burn the midnight oil
C. Grammar
I. Short forms
You have already learnt that an apostrophe shows that something belongs to someone or something before it. It has another use. When one or more letters are omitted in a phrase, an apostrophe is put where they have been left out; thus making it a short form of the original word. Short forms are used when we write a conversation, as it was done in the play you read. However, when these elements are used as main verbs, (Kamala is a lawyer) or used for emphasis (I will do it.), they are not contracted.
Full form Short form Full form Short form
can not - can t will not - won t
we have - we ve I would - d
I am - m you will - you ll
1. Pick out some short forms( contracted forms) used in the play and write their full forms in your notebook as shown above.
2. Read the conversation between Sarada and Usha and rewrite it in your notebook using the short forms.
Sarada : What are you going to do after school? Usha : I will go home and take rest for an hour.
Sarada : Then, when will you cook supper for your children?
Usha : I need not cook today. I have made some Pulihora in the morning. We will eat it for supper too.
Sarada : Forgot to tell you this. I planned a quiz for 6th class children. Are you coming
tomorrow?
Usha : I will not. I am taking leave for two days. Sarada : Why? Are you going somewhere?
Usha : I would love to do that. But my mother-in-law is visiting us tomorrow. Sarada : Then you will have a hard time, I suppose.
II Adverbs of manner Revision:
Adjectives describe nouns. Eg. Mani is a safe driver.
Adverbs describe verbs. Eg. Mani drives safely.
We can make adverbs from adjectives by adding ly as shown below: Adjective + ly = adverb
safe + ly = safely
eager + ly = eagerly
However, you should remember that all adverbs are not formed in the same way.
For example you can t add ly to the following adjectives to make adverbs: good, fast.
Adverbs of manner tell us the manner in which something happens. They are usually placed after the main verb or after the object.
Look at the following sentences from the play you have read
1. The courtiers are waiting eagerly for Tenali to bring in his painting. 2. Tenali looks at the giggling courtiers angrily and walks out.
In the first sentence the adverb eagerly comes after the main verb waiting . In the second sentence the adverb angrily comes after the object courtiers .
Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the words in brackets. Tick ( ) the sentences where the adverb of manner is put after the object and put a cross(x) against the sentences where the adverb of manner is put immediately after the main verb.
1. Sriram speaks ______ English. He speaks English ______. (correct) 2. Saleem is a ______ tailor. He makes dresses __________. (careless) 3. You always speak _________ . Please speak _______. (loud, quiet) 4. Be _______ and do your homework __________. ( careful, correct) 5. Nandu is a _______ reader. He reads books very _________. (slow) 6. Please be _______ or do your work ________. I want to sleep. (quiet) 7. My mother shouted _________ when I showed my progress card.(loud) 8. Please listen ________ .(careful)
9. P.T.Usha is a ________ runner. She runs very _______. (fast)
How well did I edit my work?
Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I deleted the excess words.
I corrected the wrong forms of words. I corrected the punctuation errors. I added new words wherever necessary. I corrected the misspelt words.
D. Writing
I. Imagine that you were the King Krishnadevaraya. Now give an account of what had happened in your court. You can start like this:
One day, an artist came to my court and showed me some paintings. They were very beautiful. I liked them very much. Everyone in the court liked them except Tenali Raman
How well did I write?
Fill in the boxes using yes/ somewhat/ no.
I was able to explain / describe / narrate well. The sentences I used were properly connected. I was able to express my ideas in apt words. The ideas were arranged in proper sequence. I used proper punctuation marks.
E. Study Skills
Jesters used to entertain people with their wit and humour. Now we have comedians in films doing that job. Here is an interesting passage about one such comedian Mr. Rajababu. Read on:
Sri Rajababu was a famous comedian in Tollywood. He was born in Rajahmundry, East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh on 20 October 1937. He entered Tollywood in 1960 and acted until 1981. In his 21 year film career, he acted in more than 550 movies.
Can you imagine what he was doing before entering the Telugu Film Industry? Believe it or not, he was working as a Telugu teacher! Imagine how much fun his students might have had. Between 1955 and 60 he acted in many dramas. 1960 was a milestone in his life because that was the year in which he had his first chance to act in a film called Samajam . From that time onwards he never looked back. He married Lakshmi Ammalu in 1965. In 70 s he had become a very popular comedian and won many Filmfare Awards. His combination with Ramaprabha was a super hit and they were considered the best comedy pair.
1937
In 1972 he acted as a hero for the first time in the movie Tata Manavadu. He acted as a hero in four more films. He produced films too. In 1974 he produced the film Evariki Vare Yamuna Theere . His film career came to an end in 1981 with the film Gadasari Atta Sogasari Kodalu . He could not act because of his ill health. This wonderful comedian, who was fondly called Haasya Nata Chakravarthi passed away on 7 February, 1983.
Now, show the important events in the life of Mr. Rajababu on the timeline given below:
F. Listening and Speaking
Your teacher will read the story The Miser . Listen carefully and answer the following questions:
1. Why did the rich man eat cheap food?
2. Did the rich man like the smell of fish? Do you think he likes eating fish too? *3. If you had a lot of money, would you be a miser? Giver reasons.
4. Please cook it every day. I like the smell very much. Who said this? *5. Do you think the watchman is honest? Support your answer.
I. Work in groups. Some groups can work on scene 1 and the others on scene 2. Rehearse and then present it before the class.
II. Put yourself in the shoes of Tenali Raman and narrate what had happened in the court.
While you were out
a cup went and broke itself. a crack appeared in the blue vase your great-great granddad brought back from China.
Somehow, without me even turning on the tap the sink mysteriously overflowed.
A strange jam stain
about the size of a boy s hand. appeared on the kitchen wall. I don t think we ll ever discover exactly how the cat
managed to turn on the washing machine (especially from the inside)
or how the self-raising flour managed to self-raise.
I can tell you I was scared when, as if by magic,
a series of muddy footprints appeared on the new white carpet. I was being good (honest)
but I think the house is haunted
So, knowing you re going to have a fit. ve gone over to gran s for a bit. -Brian Patten